Rossini’s famous overture, written when he was just 24 years old, has become one of his most famous works and, indeed, one of the most often performed works of the Romantic Period. The premiere of this opera was actually a dismal failure, with audience members booing, hissing, and throwing objects at the stage to the point where the performance was interrupted on several occasions. The rancor began during the overture, actually, which Rossini had largely recycled from other works (a mistake that was noticed by several keen audience members that night) and initially denounced. The entire production survived this early disaster, however and became a rousing success even during the composer’s lifetime, and eventually became famous enough to use in a Looney Tunes episode entitled “The Rabbit of Seville”. The work sparkles with all of the wit and humor that became Rossini’s signature sound, and, although it was not originally written for the opera it now accompanies, the scene is beautifully set for the madcap antics and joviality of the story of Figaro, the Barber of Seville.

The Nutcracker is one the three major ballets by the composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky (along with Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty), and has become one of the world’s most recognized and often performed works of art music. The initial premiere of this ballet was actually a failure, but the suite that Tchaikovsky created from pivotal moments in the full show has become a cherished part of the holiday season for many concertgoers, and helped enshrine the ballet in the canon of great works for the genre. 

The musical Wicked tells the story of the events that lead up to L. Frank Baum’s classic 1900 novel The Wizard of Oz from the perspective of two witches: Glinda (the good witch of the North) and Elphaba (who becomes the wicked witch of the West), and is loosely based on a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire. Unlike the book, the show focuses on the relationship between the two women, and provides a beautiful story about the power of friendship. The show debuted on Broadway in 2003 and the original cast (which included Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth) won three Tony awards and a Grammy. The musical has gone on to become the second highest grossing show in history (trailing only The Lion King) and is currently being adapted into a two part feature film.

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